


Apache Sunset

by Zelos



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-17
Updated: 2013-06-17
Packaged: 2017-12-15 06:16:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zelos/pseuds/Zelos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He thought of Coulson, of Fury's one good eye, a man who'd seen more than his fair share of rising tides and alien storms.  A man who remained calm and clearheaded in the darkest of times, who knew numbers and sacrifices as well as any other and had made no few of them himself.</p><p>Would Coulson have understood?  Agreed?  Or would he have been too caught up in Captain America, propaganda and marketing and a schoolboy's hero?</p><p>“What would you have done, sir?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Apache Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a [prompt](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/11264.html?thread=27280640#t27280640) at avengerkink:
>
>> The pilot who successfully made it off of the Helicarrier to fire the nuke reported it without a whole lot of emotion in his voice. It was as if it were just a regular missile, rather than, say, something capable of wiping out all of New York City.
>> 
>> How did he feel when given that order, to fire on a civilian population? Why did he go ahead with it?

“ _Override order, 7 alpha 11.”_

“7 alpha 11, confirmed. Prepare for takeoff.”

 

He would not be a hero. None of them had ever expected to be, had known that before they ever signed up. Didn't expect that to change, now that the chips were down.

It was ironic that the people who should most understand when sacrifices must be made, would be the ones to condemn him. _Traitor_ would be too kind a word for what he'd be branded as. Fury shot Marcus out of the fucking sky, after all.

Hypocrisy was not illegal. He wished it was, sometimes, but what would they do for leaders, then?

SHIELD. They were always the ones who were able to make the hard choices when no one else would, or could. That'd been the whole fucking _point_ – the people must be led, even from the shadows, by the few who were willing to make the very hard choices. They'd known that, one and all, from the day they signed up that they'd be making and obeying a lot of shitty calls that no one would be thankful for.

And now Fury's lost his one good eye and all of his sanity to go with it; the alien bastards were laying waste to downtown Manhattan and as good as Romanov and Barton were, as many tricks as Stark had up his tin-can sleeves, they had _six_. The aliens had an _army_. Stark should know, genius he was.

He wasn't an army either, but he could slow them a little. And yeah, civvies would die, didn't they always? Weren't they already dead? How many could six save?

“ _Return to base, Filan!”_ Hill's voice cracked, more from futility than the radio; he couldn't fault her for trying. She could – would – fault him for cutting the line.

He thought of Coulson, of Fury's one good eye, a man who'd seen more than his fair share of rising tides and alien storms. A man who remained calm and clearheaded in the darkest of times, who knew numbers and sacrifices as well as any other and had made no few of them himself.

Would Coulson have understood? Agreed? Or would he have been too caught up in Captain America, propaganda and marketing and a schoolboy's hero?

“What would you have done, sir?” he murmured, eyes on the prize. The skyscrapers glinted in the sunlight, black dots hovering about the gleam and glory like a swarm of locusts. Black interrupted, only briefly, by flashes of red and gold and the occasional mid-air explosion.

He flipped the channel, to one the Avengers and the Council would monitor. He owed the star-spangled heroes fair warning, at least. Even if not all of them could (would) get out.

He wouldn't either. There was no going back from this – he'd be executed on the spot. Even if he wasn't, he couldn't live with history's judgement, the hypocrites who could not save nor act. Might as well go out with a splash, a little bit of heroism.

He didn't deserve it, and neither did they.

“Destination is in 2 minutes, 30 seconds – ” Half a dozen voices choked on the other end.

He allowed himself to smile, and aimed his fighter at a particularly ugly alien.

“ – _mark._ ”

**Author's Note:**

>  _Apache_ is a type of two-man helicopter used in the US Army designed to attack enemy armor with rockets or a 30mm gun and equipped for use in bad weather and in darkness. This was not a helicopter, but I liked the title too much. :)
> 
> I realize I cheated a little with the ending as the prompt asked for the consequences (hence I'm not marking this as a fill), but seeing as Fury was ready and willing to shoot them down to stop them I didn't see the pilots seeing themselves as living too well after the nuking. I will probably write a companion piece for the _other_ pilot (the one who got shot down) who intended on nuking, but didn't (get to) do it.


End file.
